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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — magic
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — a short time
  19. club — a group
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — a permit
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com